We spent two nights at the Parkside Inn. They are pet friendly, which was a plus as we were traveling with a tiny dog. Hyatt owns and manages this property, but it hardly lives up to the Hyatt standards. The property is on a side street, across from a sketchy park. Parking was not adequate for the number of units; one night we had to park at the Hyatt (around the corner) and be shuttled back to the Parkside Inn. There is no front desk nor management staff on site. Registration and services are handled at the Hyatt. The AC was abominable. It created an intolerable humidity in the room, and only cooled the room if set on the highest settings. Then it was noisy. Couldn't open the windows, because there were no screens, and this particular room was on the ground floor, so didn't feel safe leaving it open anyway. Noticed black mold in the corners of the bathroom. Would not stay here again.

Great place great breakfast great price! Def One of the better hotels.

I agree with the reviewer below who says the one-star reviews for this place aren't justified.

What you have at the Parkside is a humble but perfectly OK place that's fine if you need an affordable place to stay in a good location. Our check-in, around the corner at the more upscale Hotel Mira Monte, was quick and totally pleasant. They're clearly aware the idea of checking in at one hotel to stay at another is odd, and it felt like they made an extra effort to make us feel at ease with it, offering a ride to the Parkside and even, if we wanted, to the zoo, where we were attending a wedding. We declined both -- the zoo is an easy walk from this hotel. If that's your destination, you're not gonna get much closer than this.

I saw no evidence of a homeless problem, and the park across the street from the hotel was populated with nothing more dangerous than some people playing sports or sunbathing. The freeway is nearby and there's some graffitti on it, as there is on all freeways. My guess is that's what led some below to feel "unsafe." They have clearly never lived in a city before if they found the area threatening.

The room was simple and spacious enough, with a clean bathroom, a working refrigerator, table and chairs, etc. Could maybe use a new coat of paint, but whatever. Only reason I give three stars for cleanliness is the attached porch, which was nice to have but grimy -- maids clearly clean the rooms but not the porch. Didn't use the internet service as it wasn't free.

Totally quiet at night. Slept well in the bed. And super cheap. This is no place for a romantic getaway, but it's completely fine for the budget traveler.

It looks terrible on streetview and combined with the negative reviews on this website I was worried. I had booked into it for 7 nights it because it was by far the cheapest in the area and I knew I wasn't going to be spending much time at the hotel.

When I arrived and checked in at the extremely nice Hotel Mar Monte I was pleasantly surprised. The Parkside is located just around the corner (2 mins walk) from the Hotel Mar Monte (I was offered a ride which I declined) and the room was large enough to have a table and 3 chairs in the corner (as well as a large double bed). It was also clean with a fridge, microwave and complimentary filter coffee. I had a bath robe in the cupboard as well as iron and iron board - these are not typical features in poorly run establishment.

OK there is a car park opposite which has RV's in it, and it is close to the 101 freeway but neither of these things are a problem. I don't remember hearing the freeway from my room and I was on the nearside to it. The soundproofing is also good enough to keep out the noise of teenagers (from a sailing club) who stayed the first night of my visit - I didn't hear them at all. The RV's are not allowed to park overnight and most if not all obeyed this.

The location is great for the beach and zoo, and State St. and the pier are walkable (probably about 20 minutes). Alternatively you can get the half hourly 25c bus if you don't fancy a walk along the beach front.

I didn't try the Hotel Mar Monte's restaurant but it looked good. I got food from the Tri-county deli/supermarket around the corner which had an abundance of fresh fruit and veg as well as craft beers. Not cheap, but very nice. There is also a Habit burger just up the road.

Compared to Fess Parker's DoubleTree resort, the Parkside is obviously not in the same league. However Santa Barbara is an expensive town, and I have stayed in far far worse hotels which cost more money.

Although I don't think there was internet access in the room, there was a computer in the lobby of the Mar Monte which was free to use.

Reviewers have mentioned the homeless as a problem, but this is across all of Santa Barbara not located by the Parkside. It was a surprise just how many homeless people there were, but all I encountered were polite people who were down on their luck - they didn't hassle me in any way.

Don't be put off by the bad reviews, if you're looking for a cheap but spacious and comfortable, well located hotel, you couldn't ask for more than the Parkside Inn.